A manufacturer for the construction industry produces structural insulated panels (SIP) for use in a variety of large building projects. During their production process they needed to activate an adhesive by spraying a water mist onto foam boards. They used air atomizing nozzles that were constantly spraying the mist as soon as the system was switched on. Obviously this created overspray which, in turn, caused the adhesive to be very unpredictable. This also prompted extra cleaning of the production equipment. On top of this the adhesive spray system didn’t adjust to changes in the line speed and there were multiple other performance problems with their spray setup.
To overcome their issues the manufacturer looked for a spray solution that could apply a low flow rate of water. This way they would be able to produce more efficiently and reduce scrap.
AutoJet adhesive spray system
After our local spray expert demonstrated the advantages of the AutoJet® E1850+ Spray System with air-operated, double-diaphragm pump the manufacturer decided to go ahead with the installation. Combined with 8 PulsaJet® AA10000AUH electrically actuated spray nozzles and UniJet® PWMD auto-aligning, dovetail spray tips the system was installed to meet the customers’ specifications.
The nozzles are triggered by a sensor to adapt to changes in line speed so they only spray when necessary. Spread over 1200 mm total spray width, the nozzles ensure uniform coverage at a low flow rate (between 1.5 to 6 liter/h) and limit overspray to an absolute minimum.
Result of the new system
The manufacturer was happy with the newly installed AutoJet spray system. Water usage dropped with 50% and there’s no more need to use expensive compressed air. Because the spray is now applied consistently – even at different line speeds – the end product quality is now higher than ever. This means less products are scrapped for not meeting the quality standards.
Together with the more efficient use of resources the total savings amount to € 20,000 per year. An important cost saving that also has a high impact on the company’s sustainability goals.